Elderly woman dies and her dog is saved in Fairfax County house fire
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Version 0 of 1. Firefighters in Fairfax County fought three separate, accidental fires over the weekend, one of which left a 91-year-old woman dead. Another fire appeared to have been sparked by a magnifying glass, and authorities said a computer caused the third blaze. The one deadly incident began about 4:25 a.m. Saturday at a home in the 7000 block of Sylvan Glen Lane in the Fairfax Station area. When firefighters arrived, they found smoke coming from a one-story house. They searched the home and found the woman and her dog. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire,which was mostly in the family room area. The woman was taken to an area hospital, where she later died. Her name has not been released pending the notification of her family. The dog was rescued and taken to an area shelter, officials said. Authorities said a smoke alarm in the hallway of the home did not activate. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The damage was estimated at $100,000. Firefighters said they think the fire was accidental and that an electric heating pad in the family room might have caused the fire. In another incident the Fairfax area, a fire broke out about 9 a.m. Friday at a home in the 8500 block of Tuttle Road in the Springfield area. When firefighters arrived, there was smoke coming from the first floor of the two-story home. An investigation later found that the fire appeared to have been started by direct sunlight shining through a magnifying glass and igniting an office chair. Rescuers were able to quickly put out the fire. Smoke alarms had sounded and those who were home got out safely, fire officials said. There were no reported injuries and the damage was estimated at about $1,900. Another fire happened early Sunday in the 3100 block of Row Street in the Falls Church area, and firefighters think a computer in the basement might have sparked that blaze. Firefighters arrived and found heavy smoke coming from a door on the first floor and basement of a one-story home. Those inside had escaped, fire officials said, but one man was taken to an area hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. There were working smoke alarms at the home, and firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire. The damage was estimated at around $20,000. |